It was a lot of fun!! I didn't have to stop to walk at all. I finished in 36 minutes, which was better than I thought I would do. Glad it went well for you too! Do you run the Dam to Dam 5k? That's what I'm thinking about doing next.

when's the Dam2Dam? I haven't looked into it. My next is one in April for April Fools Day. I finished 3 minutes faster than last year, even though a few times I felt like I wasn't going very fast! I pushed it up the hill by the Capitol though, that was rewarding. Plenty of people around me were petering out there !

It's in Waterloo. www.trekmanracing.com People dress in costume, lots of fun; last year there were guys in prom dresses, someone in full joker outfit, etc. it's a run in the state park; just nature, no buildings, for scenery.

I walked once, in my first 10K. It was in Connecticut in April when it should have been in the 50s or 60s. The race started at noon in 90 degrees in full sun on a rolling course with no shade. It was a death march. I remember running up the last hill and as I passed a race volunteer I asked him how much farther. "A half mile to the finish," he said. Wrong. A half mile later I hit the 5 mile mark instead and with it the proverbial wall. I walked for about a minute until this really, really cute runner who I had passed on that last hill came up behind me, tapped me on the elbow and said, "let's finish this race together." How could I say no to the lady?

I've never walked since then and have vowed not to, but I see no shame in it at all. Better to walk, finish and learn something for the next race.